Putnam: A slight change in signage doesn't change the message

James Prater of Mason moved his signs apart and reworded one slightly after state officials said he was violating anti-discrimination laws with his "No foreigners" sign.(Photo: Judy Putnam/Lansing State Journal)Buy Photo

MASON – A man who didn’t want to sell his house to foreigners has tweaked his sign and denied any bias.

The Michigan Department of Civil Rights opened a discrimination case against James Prater of Mason after I wrote about his yard signs. He had posted a “For sale by owner” next to one reading “Terms – No Foreigners – Iraq Vet.”

The Civil Rights department said that the signs amount to discriminatory advertising since laws prohibit bias based on national origin.

To sidestep the criticism, Prater moved the signs farther apart and removed the word “Terms.”

“These signs are not in connection with each other,” according to a statement released by Prater's attorney, Kristina Lyke of East Lansing.